J&J Agreed To Pay $44M To New Mexico Over Opioid Crisis
Thu, 03/03/2022 - 14:50
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has agreed to pay $44 million to New Mexico state to resolve several cases against it of fueling the opioid crisis.
The $44 million settlement is consistent with the terms of a proposal where J&J and other drug distributors, Cardinal Health Inc, AmerisourceBergen Corp and McKesson Corp are required to pay $26 billion as a nationwide settlement in the opioid-related cases against the companies.
Earlier, New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas stated that New Mexico would not be a part of the opioid crisis settlement deals, but last month he informed that the state would participate in the $21 billion deal of the distributors whereas, it would not join the $5 billion deal with J&J.
As per the agreement, J&J has agreed to pay the complete settlement amount in 2022 rather than paying it over several years.
The AG added that opioids have destroyed families and communities in New Mexico, and the settlement will provide adequate funding to deal with the opioid epidemic by conducting awareness programmes and relevant measures to prevent further crisis.
J&J is accused of using deceptive marketing techniques to make profits and increase the sale of opioids, but the company has denied all the allegations by stating that it did not manipulate the rules and regulations to boost the drug sale.
Currently, J&J, along with the drug distributors, face more than 3,300 lawsuits in the federal courts across the nation over opioid abuse crisis that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths.
Endo Agrees To Pay $65M To Florida Over Opioid Crisis
Thu, 03/03/2022 - 14:37
Endo International has agreed to pay up to $65 million to the state of Florida and local governments to resolve the claims against the company, alleging it of fueling the opioid epidemic.
Endo has struck many such settlements in recent months to resolve similar claims. It even includes a $63 million settlement with Texas that the company agreed on in December.
The company denied all the allegations by stating that they are not liable for the wrongdoing, and the move of paying the settlement amount is mainly concerned with addressing the global opioid epidemic.
The settlement amount from the company will be used by the state to conduct relevant awareness programs to prevent the future opioid crisis. It will even help the opioid abuse victims and their families to overcome the drug abuse.
The drugmakers, drug distributors and pharmacy chains face thousands of lawsuits over the drug abuse crisis, which has resulted in hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths over two decades.
The opioid crisis has been a major matter of concern throughout the U.S. for decades and the current $26 billion national opioid settlement, including three major drug distributors and drugmakers Johnson & Johnson, (J&J) is a big relief for the people affected and suffering from the opioids.
18M To New Hanover County In National Opioid Settlement
Thu, 03/03/2022 - 13:59
New Hanover County was the first North Carolina County that sued major pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors over their roles in fueling the nationwide opioid crisis.
The overdose rate in this county is 39.7 per 100,000 residents, which is comparatively higher than the state average, which is 28.4 per 100,000 residents. As per the latest estimates, 93 residents of the county died in 2020 alone.
In July 2021, multi-district litigation was combined, including more than 3,000 lawsuits from nearly every state, which resulted in a $26-billion settlement agreement. On January 10, the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, and the North Carolina League of Municipalities announced that the 45 largest municipalities in North Carolina, along with 100 counties, have signed the national settlement against Cardinal, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen.
All 50 states will get an adequate amount to deal with the opioid crisis, and North Carolina is slated to receive nearly $750 million. The settlement will provide a decent fighting chance for the North Carolinians who are addicted to drug abuse and will also help to prevent the future opioid epidemic.
New Hanover County is set to receive the sixth largest settlement amount of roughly $18 million after The City of Wilmington's $769,823, Brunswick County's $13.7 million and Pender County's $3.8 million.
A spokesperson for the county said that the officials are yet to decide about the usage of the funds to implement programs, initiatives and solutions that will help people who are struggling with opioid abuse.